Daily Text and Bible Reading: Saturday, May 25 [Press play below]

26.1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
26.2 He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king was laid to rest with his forefathers.
26.3 Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
26.4 He continued to do what was right in Jehovah’s eyes, just as his father Amaziah had done.
26.5 And he kept searching for God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear the true God. During the time he was searching for Jehovah, the true God made him prosper.
26.6 He went out and fought against the Philistines and broke through the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
26.7 The true God continued to help him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who were dwelling in Gurbaal, and against the Meunim.
26.8 The Ammonites began to give tribute to Uzziah. His fame eventually spread as far as Egypt, for he became extremely powerful.
26.9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem by the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the Buttress, and he fortified them.
26.10 Further, he built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns (for he had a great deal of livestock); he also did so in the Shephelah and on the plain. He had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved agriculture.
26.11 Moreover, Uzziah came to have an army equipped for war. They would go out on military campaigns, organized in divisions. They were numbered and registered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer, under the command of Hananiah, one of the king’s princes.
26.12 The entire number of the heads of the paternal houses who were over these mighty warriors was 2,600.
26.13 The armed forces under their command numbered 307,500 men ready for war, a powerful military force to support the king against the enemy.
26.14 Uzziah equipped the entire army with shields, lances, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and slingstones.
26.15 Further, in Jerusalem he made engines of war designed by engineers; they were set on the towers and on the corners of the walls and could shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he received tremendous help and he became strong.
26.16 However, as soon as he was strong, his heart became haughty to his own ruin, and he acted unfaithfully against Jehovah his God by entering the temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the altar of incense.
26.17 Immediately Azariah the priest and 80 other courageous priests of Jehovah went in after him.
26.18 They confronted King Uzziah and said to him: “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Jehovah! It is only the priests who should burn incense, for they are the descendants of Aaron, those who have been sanctified. Go out from the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully and you will receive no glory from Jehovah God for this.”
26.19 But Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand to burn incense, became enraged; and during his rage against the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Jehovah next to the altar of incense.
26.20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned toward him, they saw that he had been stricken with leprosy in his forehead! So they rushed him out of there, and he himself hurried out, because Jehovah had struck him.
26.21 King Uzziah remained a leper until the day of his death, and he kept staying in a separate house as a leper, for he had been excluded from the house of Jehovah. His son Jotham was in charge of the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
26.22 And the rest of the history of Uzziah, from beginning to end, was recorded by the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz.
26.23 Then Uzziah was laid to rest with his forefathers, and they buried him with his forefathers, but in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said: “He is a leper.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.

27.1 Jotham was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
27.2 He kept doing what was right in Jehovah’s eyes, just as his father Uzziah had done, except that he did not invade the temple of Jehovah. But the people were still acting ruinously.
27.3 He built the upper gate of Jehovah’s house, and he did much building on the wall of Ophel.
27.4 He also built cities in the mountainous region of Judah, and he built fortified places and towers in the wooded areas.
27.5 He waged war against the king of the Ammonites and eventually prevailed against them, so that the Ammonites gave him in that year 100 silver talents, 10,000 cor measures of wheat, and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites also paid this to him in the second and third years.
27.6 So Jotham kept growing strong, for he established his ways before Jehovah his God.
27.7 As for the rest of the history of Jotham, all his wars and his ways, it is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and of Judah.
27.8 He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem.
27.9 Then Jotham was laid to rest with his forefathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And his son Ahaz became king in his place.

28.1 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in Jehovah’s eyes as David his forefather had done.
28.2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he even made metal statues of the Baals.
28.3 Moreover, he made sacrificial smoke in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned up his sons in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations that Jehovah had driven out from before the Israelites.
28.4 He also kept sacrificing and making sacrificial smoke on the high places, on the hills, and under every luxuriant tree.
28.5 So Jehovah his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, so that they defeated him and carried off a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who inflicted on him a great slaughter.
28.6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah 120,000 in one day, all brave men, because they had abandoned Jehovah the God of their forefathers.
28.7 And Zichri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah and Azrikam, who was in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, who was second to the king.
28.8 Moreover, the Israelites took 200,000 of their brothers captive—women, sons, and daughters; they also seized a great deal of spoil, and they took the spoil to Samaria.
28.9 But a prophet of Jehovah named Oded was there. He went out before the army that was coming to Samaria and said to them: “Look! It was because Jehovah the God of your forefathers was angry with Judah that he gave them into your hand, and you slaughtered them with a fury that has reached clear to the heavens.
28.10 And now you intend to make the people of Judah and Jerusalem your male and female servants. Nevertheless, are you not also guilty before Jehovah your God?
28.11 Now listen to me and return the captives whom you took from your brothers, for Jehovah’s burning anger is against you.”
28.12 At that some of the chiefs of the Ephraimites, Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, confronted those coming in from the military campaign,
28.13 and they said to them: “Do not bring the captives in here, for it will make us guilty before Jehovah. What you intend to do will add to our sins and to our guilt, for our guilt is already great and there is burning anger against Israel.”
28.14 So the armed soldiers handed over the captives and the plunder to the princes and the entire congregation.
28.15 Then the men who had been designated by name rose up and took hold of the captives, and they provided clothes from the spoil for all those among them who were naked. So they clothed them and gave them sandals, food and drink, and oil for their skin. Furthermore, they transported the feeble on donkeys and brought them to their brothers in Jericho, the city of palm trees. After that they returned to Samaria.
28.16 At that time King Ahaz asked the kings of Assyria for help.
28.17 And once again the Edomites invaded and attacked Judah and carried off captives.
28.18 The Philistines also made a raid on the cities of the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its dependent towns, Timnah and its dependent towns, and Gimzo and its dependent towns; and they settled there.
28.19 Jehovah humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he had let Judah go unrestrained, resulting in great unfaithfulness toward Jehovah.
28.20 King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria eventually came against him and caused him distress rather than strengthening him.
28.21 For Ahaz had stripped the house of Jehovah and the house of the king and the houses of the princes and made a gift to the king of Assyria; but it was of no help to him.
28.22 And during his time of distress, King Ahaz acted even more unfaithfully toward Jehovah.
28.23 He began to sacrifice to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, and he went on to say: “Because the gods of the kings of Syria are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble.
28.24 Furthermore, Ahaz collected the utensils of the house of the true God; he then cut to pieces the utensils of the house of the true God, closed the doors of the house of Jehovah, and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.
28.25 And in all the cities of Judah, he made high places for making sacrificial smoke to other gods, and he offended Jehovah the God of his forefathers.
28.26 As for the rest of his history, all his dealings from beginning to end, there it is written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and of Israel.
28.27 Then Ahaz was laid to rest with his forefathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the burial places of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah became king in his place.